Week 3 Pep Talk
Hello! It is my turn for the pep talk today, so I have decided to write about one of my favorite topics--to-do lists.
I'll be honest--I am one of the absolute laziest people in the world. I used to be the girl who would wait until 3 a.m. the night before the deadline to start working on major assignments. But what helped me get on track was learning to make and follow to-do lists, and it is doubly helpful when it comes to my writing projects, particularly my legacy.
I mean, let's look at the facts. There are twelve days left until February 28, and I am sure that right now a lot of us are thinking we won't be able to meet our goals for any number of reasons--lack of inspiration, or time, or real life issues are taking priority, or anything else. It's so easy to just sit here and despair over having less than two weeks to finish whatever your goal is. And yeah, if you're telling yourself "I HAVE TO FINISH A WHOLE UPDATE" or whatnot I do not blame you for despairing, but I will teach you my tricks to deal with it in hopes that you will be able to get past this.
The thing about to-do lists is that they are not only a great way to stay organized, they're also a great way to make you feel good about your progress. It's one thing to know you've completed a necessary task, but actually looking at a list full of crossed-off items makes your progress seem all the more real and provides a lovely feeling of accomplishment, which can be just the mood boost you need to keep working.
There are multiple types of to-do lists you can keep. I myself have three going--one for tasks I will have to accomplish during the month, one for things I'll have to do during the next week or so, and one strictly for sims things. I recommend you keep at least two--one for CreMo tasks you need to get done, and one that is a schedule for when and how you will carry them out.
The trick with the CreMo list is to break it down to the smallest possible components. So rather than saying "write the update" you could make a list of every scene you need to write. Rather than saying "film the update" make a list of locations you will need to film, then list each specific picture you will need to get at that location. The lists might get quite long, yes, but it'll give you a firm idea of what you need to do, and it will allow you to start crossing things off sooner. And trust me, being able to cross things off as soon as possible is key. My CreMo list also includes things like making the cover, review responses, editing the updates, and rereading legacy updates which feature the BC contestants in their native 'hoods. Just any task you need to carry out for CreMo. That way you will know everything that you need to do rather than having a vague, intimidating idea that you'll need to do A LOT. Spell it all out for yourself, remind yourself that you've completed updates before and you'll be able to do it again, and then get to work. After all, the sooner you get started, the sooner you'll finish.
Then with the schedule, list everything you need to do in the order you want to do it in. But don't have it as purely a sims-related schedule--include breaks in there that you can use to reward yourself with. For instance, your list could be something like:
1. Write five scenes
2. Watch the latest episode of your favorite television show
3. Write five more scenes
4. Go for a nice walk
See? Rather than having it purely be a "I MUST DO THIS, AND THEN THIS, AND THEN THIS" list that is no fun at all, build in rewards and breaks for yourself. That'll make you less tempted to wander off task completely in favor of doing fun things.
Above all else, remember--nobody is going to punish you if you don't complete your CreMo goal(s) this month. Even if you only complete a few items, that's at least a bit more work than you had done last month, right? But don't give up already. You have twelve days left. That's more time than you think! *\o/* And if my to-do lists tips help, I am very glad of it. Good luck, everyone!
I'll be honest--I am one of the absolute laziest people in the world. I used to be the girl who would wait until 3 a.m. the night before the deadline to start working on major assignments. But what helped me get on track was learning to make and follow to-do lists, and it is doubly helpful when it comes to my writing projects, particularly my legacy.
I mean, let's look at the facts. There are twelve days left until February 28, and I am sure that right now a lot of us are thinking we won't be able to meet our goals for any number of reasons--lack of inspiration, or time, or real life issues are taking priority, or anything else. It's so easy to just sit here and despair over having less than two weeks to finish whatever your goal is. And yeah, if you're telling yourself "I HAVE TO FINISH A WHOLE UPDATE" or whatnot I do not blame you for despairing, but I will teach you my tricks to deal with it in hopes that you will be able to get past this.
The thing about to-do lists is that they are not only a great way to stay organized, they're also a great way to make you feel good about your progress. It's one thing to know you've completed a necessary task, but actually looking at a list full of crossed-off items makes your progress seem all the more real and provides a lovely feeling of accomplishment, which can be just the mood boost you need to keep working.
There are multiple types of to-do lists you can keep. I myself have three going--one for tasks I will have to accomplish during the month, one for things I'll have to do during the next week or so, and one strictly for sims things. I recommend you keep at least two--one for CreMo tasks you need to get done, and one that is a schedule for when and how you will carry them out.
The trick with the CreMo list is to break it down to the smallest possible components. So rather than saying "write the update" you could make a list of every scene you need to write. Rather than saying "film the update" make a list of locations you will need to film, then list each specific picture you will need to get at that location. The lists might get quite long, yes, but it'll give you a firm idea of what you need to do, and it will allow you to start crossing things off sooner. And trust me, being able to cross things off as soon as possible is key. My CreMo list also includes things like making the cover, review responses, editing the updates, and rereading legacy updates which feature the BC contestants in their native 'hoods. Just any task you need to carry out for CreMo. That way you will know everything that you need to do rather than having a vague, intimidating idea that you'll need to do A LOT. Spell it all out for yourself, remind yourself that you've completed updates before and you'll be able to do it again, and then get to work. After all, the sooner you get started, the sooner you'll finish.
Then with the schedule, list everything you need to do in the order you want to do it in. But don't have it as purely a sims-related schedule--include breaks in there that you can use to reward yourself with. For instance, your list could be something like:
1. Write five scenes
2. Watch the latest episode of your favorite television show
3. Write five more scenes
4. Go for a nice walk
See? Rather than having it purely be a "I MUST DO THIS, AND THEN THIS, AND THEN THIS" list that is no fun at all, build in rewards and breaks for yourself. That'll make you less tempted to wander off task completely in favor of doing fun things.
Above all else, remember--nobody is going to punish you if you don't complete your CreMo goal(s) this month. Even if you only complete a few items, that's at least a bit more work than you had done last month, right? But don't give up already. You have twelve days left. That's more time than you think! *\o/* And if my to-do lists tips help, I am very glad of it. Good luck, everyone!